


Flame of a Flock

by RikuD



Category: One Piece
Genre: AcexOC, CanonxOC, Character Study, Established Relationship, F/M, One Piece Universe, Pre-One Piece Canon, Shirohige Kaizoku-dan | Whitebeard Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:07:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26207665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikuD/pseuds/RikuD
Summary: Calm before the hugest storms and talks of love before destruction of families. Sharing a bed to whisper the smallest of words, but holding the biggest of thoughts. A bird and a fire that will not last for fires will always die out first.
Relationships: Portgas D. Ace & Original Character(s), Portgas D. Ace & Original Female Character(s), Portgas D. Ace/Original Character(s), Portgas D. Ace/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7
Collections: In Memoriam: A Portgas D. Ace Collection, Oc Centric Fics





	Flame of a Flock

"Ace" Crow whispered, her golden eyes affixed to the many freckles that studded the black haired man. The couple laid next to each other on his bed, legs tangled up with one another, arms on each other's side. Despite the banter and bicker, it was always behind closed doors where Crow and Ace felt much more like the couple they said they were. They valued their privacy. If anything, the spare moments they had together were much more valuable. 

An eyebrow lifted at the sound of his name from her lips. His hand pulled her closer into the concave of his chest as he turned to look at her. She was so much smaller compared to him, his whole body always seemed to engulf her into him. Many times, Crow would complain that she didn't like Ace hugging her because his body heat made it unbearable. Of course, both knew that was a lie. She loved his warmth. Ace could read it off her. With every strong gust of wind that blew across the ship, every Winter Island they landed on, Ace would always find her standing beside him, almost begging him to give her the warm touch he always had. It was moments like these that made her so adorable. 

"Yes?" He whispered back, letting his face rest on her forehead, breathing in the smell of smoke and spruce that always emanated from her. It grabbed Ace, telling him to pull her into him, to be enveloped by her. It was terribly addicting, distracting, making him crave more. 

Ace could feel her soft fingers stroke his back, almost as if to trace the tattoo that made home there. Little caresses that brought goose bumps down his spine and to his toes. He shivered despite the heat. 

"Is there nothing you would sacrifice to make pops King?" The man furrowed his eyebrows and pulled back to look at Crow's face. The light from the moon did nothing to illuminate her beautiful face, rather it had cast an even darker shadow, with only her golden eyes reflecting small hints of her inner thoughts. It was moments like these that Ace wondered why her affiliations were with Corvids and not felines. Always watching, waiting, as if to pounce with every word that he said. Sometimes, her gaze was so intense that he would look away, a pink hue that would bloom from his cheeks followed. 

Right now, thought, Ace stared directly into hers.

"I made a promise when he saved my life. I owe it to him to do the same and more," Ace said softly. Crow did not break from his gaze, only allowing herself to blink. Ace could tell this was a question that Crow had been wanting to ask for a while. She must have seen it. His willingness to be reckless for the captain. The countless moments where he would risk his life for the littlest of scorn onto the crew. Crow was always there when they happened, to save him or reprimand him . Always there to help pick up the pieces that he would always drop from stubbornness.

Ace chuckled.

"Why? You getting tired of saving me from drowning?" He heard a scoff and instantly felt a small flick on his forehead. 

"More like tired of you unable to keep yourself from getting killed." she said with a sigh but he could tell she was smiling. 

Ace let out a loud laugh. Wrapping his muscles arms around her waist, he flipped her on top of him, letting her head rest on his chest. There was a moment of quiet breathing between the two. For a moment, Ace realized that Crow’s own breathing matched with his. 

It was only after months of being together did Ace realize that particular habit of Crow’s. Whenever she was walking with him, her steps would move at the same pace as his, when he turned his head to look at something, Crow’s head would follow as well. He wasn’t the only one Crow would emulate. Ace would sometimes notice Crow following after Thatch as well, like a little bird following its mother. Whenever he pointed it out, she would always deny it. Whether she realized it or not, it was not uncommon to find Crow in the kitchen along with Thatch. Her eyes were always transfixed on his hands as they would prep for the next meal, her own hands subconsciously following the same movements as her adoptive older brother. Considering how the two grew up together as orphans, how Thatch looked after Crow since she was just 5, of course she adored her brother, related or not. He meant the world to her and there was no doubt in Ace’s mind that she would do anything for Thatch. 

With Fire Fist, it felt a bit different. She didn’t put him on a pedestal, she didn’t follow him around like a lost chick. They weren’t connected by the hip, not like with Crow and Thatch. No, but they were always near each other

Standing with him on missions, working with him on the deck. They were an odd pair, but there was no doubt they were an equal one. Even on solo missions, it felt wrong without the other. Ace would find himself looking to his side for Crow on those missions, only to find no one there. After he was done, Crow would find her fire boy cuddling up with her, accepting his touch starve moments. He knew she didn’t mind. They never needed to express their thoughts with many words. They understood each other, tuned well to each other. That was why they never needed to be so expressive of their relationship around the crew. The small arguments they had were usually petty little things, almost for show. It never really mattered because the two knew at the end of the day, they understood each other, sharing those moments during nights like these. 

Ace could feel her shuffle in his arms, her eyes looking straight up at him again. 

"Ace. I’m worried" The sight of her furrowed eyebrows brought a small pang in his heart. All he wanted to do was massage away thoughts that bundled up on her face. 

"I'm not going to die," he said firmly. There was a long pause, only the sounds of the waves as they rocked along the sides of the ship.

"Whether I get killed today or years from now. I will never die. As long as people remember me," Ace looked down with a smile on his face, "I am willing to jump into the ocean a thousand and one times."

Crow stared at him for a long minute before she allowed her head to rest on his chest. The soft beating of Ace's heart filled her ear. She looked through the shining porthole on the wall. The night sky was clear, allowing for the stars to shine against the dark blue. Crow couldn’t help but wonder when the next storm would appear. She never liked clear skies, it felt like false calms before the hugest of storms. 

She could feel Ace’s thumbs rubbing small circles between her shoulder blades, trying to loosen the tight knots of worry from her. If it were any other time, she would have welcomed it wholeheartedly. But the worries just would not leave. There were so many unseen expectations, so many anxieties. Ace was truly a flame, spreading into her life, taking over so quickly. She was swept up by his sincerity, his kindness, his fierceness. He helped her open up, to see the world in kinder eyes. Ace held that hand to her whenever she needed it. For that she was incredibly grateful. However, she could not help but find guilt in her selfishness, as she laid there with him, the man she cared for. 

With the softest of whisper, that not even Ace could hear, "But what about me?"

Her voice barely registered to his ears, a confused look etched on his face.

"Can you repeat that? I couldn't hear-" before he could finish, there were multiple loud bangs on the wooden door of his quarters. Crow's blood grew cold as she heard the voice of her phoenix friend. 

"FUCK! ACE! ITS THATCH!"


End file.
